About Me

Clare writes inspirational romance, usually of a suspenseful nature. Her books are available through her publisher Pelican Book Group and Amazon.
She is married with three kids and lives in the UK.
She loves watching sci-fi, crime drama, cross stitching, reading and baking.

Friday, 31 August 2012

Saw this on a couple of blogs and thought why not. Guess its a variant of seven sentence Sunday which I don't do as I don't write on a Sunday. So here are 5 sentences from my WIP Sunday's Child that I just wrote :)

I think the moral of the story really is don't annoy the writer or she will put you in a book and kill you.

The whole bridge shuddered, visibly
moving as a huge wave knocked against it. Metal screeched and twisted with a
loud creak, swiftly followed by a noise unlike anything she’d ever heard
before. A long metallic groan, a whoosh of water that shot up into the sky and
the wind howled and moaned.

As the spray cleared, Hattie’s eyes
widened and she rubbed them, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. The central span of the bridge, and the lights of
the train, was gone.

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love science fiction. Whether it’s TV, movie, radio or book. From Dr Who through Blake’s Seven, all the Star Treks, Battlestar Galactica, Earth Final Conflict, First Wave, StarGate SG1 – even going to several UK Stargate conventions, and annoying the kids by watching TV going met him, met her, been hugged by him, want to see the photo of me and him… Not to mention writing sci-fi fanfic. In fact my writing started in fanfic, which is probably still out there somewhere under my internet name. At least the Stargate stuff. The Blake's Seven stuff is handwritten and under the bed.

I’ve even made Dad and Hubby drive miles out of their way so I can take photos of places with names the same as sci-fi characters. (Bridge of Cally for example. Actually there was a huge queue of traffice behind us 2 weeks ago when Hubby stopped the car for me to take a photo of said signpost. It's here if you really want to go look. Once you finished this post.) (And honestly why do you think the hero of Wednesday's Child is called Liam!)

So when I heard of Godmachine—a new sci-fi short starring Robert Leeshock (Earth Final Conflict) I was desperately hoping it’d be released in the UK. Most Canadian stuff takes years to get over here, if it does at all, then it's on a remote TV channel and never on DVD. To my joy the link to it was posted on his FB page so I could watch it. More than once =)

The short film is a promotional piece for a larger feature film in development using the characters, themes, and setting of the GodMachine universe. (And hopefully it'll get to the UK when released.)

Blurb: (yeah I know that's the writer's term, but my mind went blank)
GODMACHINE is the story of John Lee (Robert Leeshock), a PTSD-ravaged war veteran sent by the CEO of the Chinamerica Corporation (Von Flores) to destroy the source of the Khodamaha, a computer virus capable of granting sentience to artificial life.

The virus, however, has other plans for John, who himself becomes infected via his military implant technology. John soon finds himself on a mysterious journey to rescue and protect Grace (Kiki Yeung), a female android also infected by the virus. Unbeknownst to John, the Khodamaha has enabled Grace, through the corruption of her voice software, to sing the frequency of the Big Bang -- thereby "rebooting" his unconscious mind.

Upon repairing John's damaged psyche, the two become the "Adam and Eve" of a new Machine Age, able to harness the virus's power to heal man and machine alike, and end Chinamerica's technological stranglehold over all life on Earth.

Review:

“Even in the dark corners of hell awaits redemption.” - Godmachine

Godmachine is a well written, gritty short movie which packs as much thought provoking action into its 22 minutes than some films have in 3 hours. It's multi-layered story line leaves the viewer wanting more. It has a villain – or two – a hero with flaws he makes no attempt to hide, and an unlikely heroine. It reminds me of the line from Jurassic Park – “Life finds a way.”

Saturday, 25 August 2012

Tuesdays Child comes out on October 19th. This one tells the story of DS Nate Holmes. He's been in and out of most of the Headley Cross books and wanted his own story. And who am I to argue with him?

Blurb:Tuesday's Child tenders direction...

Deaf from the age of five, Adeline Munroe operates a hospital for injured dolls, but lately her quiet life is disturbed by violent, haunting visions. Perhaps it's just her unspoken fear--a serial killer has struck in Headley Cross. But Adeline soon realizes she's seeing each murder just before they happen and reluctantly contacts the police.

Detective Sergeant Nate Holmes has enough to deal with between caring for his orphaned niece and his current assignment--the Herbalist killings, so when a woman comes forward who claims to be "seeing" the crimes in dreams, he isn't hopeful she'll be of any help. But he knows her from church, and she inexplicably describes how each crime is committed. Is God answering his prayers through Adeline?

Adeline assists the police, yet more women die and she becomes the prime target of the killer. Will Nate crack the case before the Herbalist can complete his agenda--or will the next murder Adeline foresees be her own?

Excerpt:
All of Nate’s senses kicked into action, his copper’s antennae twitching.
She knew something, or at least thought she did.
“What is it?”
Adeline sucked her lower lip into her mouth, worrying it with her teeth. “This is going to sound stupid, but…” She took a deep breath. “I saw them. All of them. They all had their hair tied back or up.” She picked up the top clipping. “She was playing on a swing and wearing a red jacket. This one was walking the dog and wearing blue.”
Nate jolted as if he’d been struck by lightning. Those details hadn’t been released. Was he wrong about her? Was she somehow involved with the murders? “Wait a minute. How did you know any of this?”
Adeline carried on speaking as she shifted through the papers. “She was on her way to dance class in pink. This one was jogging in a gray toweling track suit and the first one…”
Nate put a hand on her arm, cutting her off.
She jerked her head upwards in surprise.
He held her gaze. “How do you know all this?”
“I told you, I saw them.”

And as if that wasn't exciting enough, Wednesdays Child comes out Jan 11th, 2013.
That one tells the story of a guy who really has reached rock bottom. Liam, an alcoholic, ex-missionary and a man bent on revenge. (yes I did research - no I didn't get drunk doing it lol) And keep an eye open as Niamh and Patrick - Liam's twin sister and older brother - get their own stories told in Thurs and Fri Child respectively. (Just finished the pre-galley on Thursday's Child)

Blurb:

Wednesday's Child grieves for his soul...

Liam Page, school teacher and ex-missionary, is a man with a secret agenda. Revenge. But when he says it with flowers, toppling a vase of carnations and drenching a woman who just happens to be the school's landscape architect, he may have found a light in his darkness.

After an abusive relationship, Jacqui Dorne prefers work to men. It's safer. But Liam Page with his boyish charm and wounded soul, manages to change her preferences. Has God led her to Liam to help him heal?

When their growing relationship is marred by the reappearance of Jacqui's ex-boyfriend, they find themselves suddenly embroiled in a series of dangerous events --leading them to Africa and leaving them fighting for both love and life.

extract
“Hey, watch where you’re going.”
“Sorry.” Liam turned around, hitting the table again. He watched in horror as the table shifted, like a view in slow motion. The vase of flowers tipped over, sending water all over the laptop and papers.
“Oh no! That’s all I need.” The female voice, as soft and silky as he imagined, was tinged with dismay and anger.
His face flaming, Liam snatched a pile of napkins from her side. “I’m so sorry. Let me help.”
“I think you’ve done enough.” Irritation flashed in her hazel eyes as she glared at him. “Just leave it. I’ll do it.” She picked up the flowers and shoved them back into the vase.
Liam’s cheeks burned, matching the churning in his stomach as it rebelled against his lunch. Dumping the napkins on the table, he pulled a pen from his jacket and scrawled his number on one of them. “I’ll pay for any repairs your computer needs. My name’s Liam Page. This is my mobile number. The phone’s on all the time. If you get voice mail, just leave a message, Miss...?”
The woman flinched as she took it, her cool fingers sending waves of heat through him as they brushed his hand. “Miss Dorne. No doubt I’ll be in touch”--she glanced down--“Mr. Page.”

Tuesday, 7 August 2012

How did you
come up with your premise? Is there a story behind your book? How did the story
evolve?

I was on a
plane from San Francisco to Bend for a job interview, and the fog was so thick
over the bay that it completely blotted out the sky. As we took off above the
cloud bank, everything just disappeared beneath me. Mankind and all our worries
seemed to fade into the grey. I wondered what would happen if the world changed
at that very moment. What if the life I knew didn't exist when I landed? What
if my world died somewhere under those clouds?

That
experience started everything, and even turned into one of my favorite scenes
in Yield. As our main character,
disgraced firefighter Devin Bane, takes off on the way towards his own
interview, everything he knows changes while he's in the air. Devin crashes
headfirst into a chaos he doesn't understand, fighting not only to get back to
his wife and kids, but also to protect the other survivors now looking to him
for a leadership he wants no part of.

For those who
are not familiar with this story, would you please give us the blurb?

Ex-fire chief Devin Bane rises above the thick clouds for
an interview in Seattle and the promise of a better life. Packing up his
carry-on items for their descent into the city, Devin is blinded by a distant
flash, followed by the screams and chaos of a crash landing.

Searching for answers as he flees through the ruins, Devin
and a handful of survivors are surrounded by the most primitive side of human
nature. Plunged into the darkness of a broken society, their tattered souls are
each tested by the horrors they face. Even if Devin can escape the city, a far
worse danger now blocks his path back home . . . back to his family and the
dawning of a changed world.

Are there any
fun tid-bits about this story you can share with us?

Yield
actually started its life as a screenplay. I
thought the concept made for a very visual type of story, so I initially
fleshed out Yield in a traditional
screenplay format. That alone took me a couple of years because I was working
on it after long days at work and time with my family. Putting it together as a screenplay actually helped me quite a bit while
writing to better visualize the scenes, structure the story, and tighten up my
dialogue. But screenplays have to be so concise and heavily formatted that it
really limited the emotion of the story. I received a lot of feedback from
prospective agents and production companies that the screenplay was overwritten
and just too literary. So I took a deep breath and jumped in with both feet to
expand Yield out into a novel. It
took a few more years, but was extremely liberating to be able to flesh out how
my characters felt and thought—how the fear inside them was palpable and crippling. It
allowed me to really explore my own style of writing and create a much deeper
story.

How did you
decide on the setting?

I'm from the Pacific Northwest, so I fell back on the
locations I'm most familiar with. By placing Yield predominantly in Seattle and Portland, I thought that would
also make it more unique than most of the other disaster books and movies out
there. Those always seem to center around the cities of New York or Los
Angeles. I lived in Portland for many years, but hadn't been to Seattle in ages,
so I had to do some research to make it feel real. I tried to incorporate major
landmarks, thoroughfares, and businesses downtown wherever possible to add to
that feeling of realism and strengthen the overall believability of the story.

When will it
be released?

Yield
will be available in trade paperback and all e-book formats on August 14th. You
can go to www.armageddia.com for all of
the purchase links.

Review:Written in the present tense, Yield is a fast paced book which throws you into the heart of the action as the survivors battle to find out what happened and simply make it through the first few days. At times a little confusing as you head hop through everyone in the scene, the gritty narrative keeps your attention and makes the book hard to put down. It's written from the perspective of the characters, who have no idea what's happened to their city or their families, only that there are very few people left alive. Not easy to read at times, as its no holes barred view on what could happen--but not from where you expect.A good story, that pulls you in, keeps you reading and wanting more.

Where were
you born?

I was born on a military base in Pullman, Washington, many
moons ago. My dad was in the Navy, and we moved around quite a bit when I was
little. After my parents got divorced, I moved down to Woodburn, Oregon, where
I grew up and eventually went to high school. After that, my life blurred
across four states before finally settling back in Oregon with my wife and two
kids.

If you could
live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I love the Oregon Coast, so even if I could choose to live
anywhere, I'd have a house overlooking those crashing waves. There's just
something so inspiring and powerful about watching the tide come in. New
inspiration always seems to ebb and flow with those waves. I've sat out on the
beach for hours on moonless nights, just listening to the water scatter across
the sand . . . feeling it beside me in the black. There's nothing quite like
it.

What hidden
talent do you possess outside of writing... something you do for fun, but are
good at?

Creativity is one of those things that I think can easily
cross over into other disciplines. Outside of writing, I love to draw. I
sketched out many of my characters and even some backdrops for Yield. You can check them out at: http://www.armageddia.com/Artwork.html At one point in high school, I actually
wanted to be a comic book artist, but I just didn't have the speed for it. The
really good artists can finish several full pages in a day. My sketches, like
my writing, I spent so much time reworking that they took considerably longer
than that.

I also made all of my own book trailers and enjoy building
motion graphics and 3D animations on the computer. That's what I did in the
television industry for many, many years. I've won a dozen or so awards for my
broadcast design and marketing work over the years. I play the guitar as well,
sometimes using that as an escape. Jamming out on my Gibson has a way of
freeing the mind.

What music
groups/artists blast from your CD player while you write?

When I'm not writing, there's usually hard rock cranked up
on my iPhone. Three Days Grace, Nickelback, Fireflight. I play guitar and enjoy
the driving riffs and energy of that style of music. When I'm writing, my brain
goes to a very different place and I have to listen to music without lyrics.
For some reason, vocals distract my own words from coming out so I listen to an
eclectic mix of trance, classical, and movie themes when I write. The various
tones and emotion in the music I'm listening to can manifest themselves in very
interesting ways throughout the writing process. I once had the idea for an
entire screenplay while listening to an instrumental rendition of a Led
Zeppelin song. I just couldn't scribble down the thoughts fast enough.

What got you
interested in writing?

I've always loved to read, and started writing at first to
continue those stories that I didn't want to end. I thought that the worlds
other authors could create in my mind was so incredible that I wanted to try it
for myself. We learn by doing, right? I started with the easier story lines of
graphic novels, enjoying illustrating at least as much as putting together the
words. I didn't quite have the speed for mass producing comics, so I moved on
to other visual art forms like graphic design and advertising. Even though my
career took me down that path, I never stopped writing. I've put together quite
a few shorts that I'd love one day to expand out, and have also written a
handful of screenplays. As I mentioned earlier, Yield was once a screenplay just begging to be freed. That story
couldn't be confined.

What advice
would you give a new writer just starting out?

It sounds obvious, but make sure your writing is polished
and professional. Edit it until your fingers bleed and you're positive that it
just couldn't possibly be improved. Then . . . edit it again. I know it sounds
painful, but to be taken seriously and to have a chance inside this competitive
industry, the work has to stand its ground against an army of
financially-backed juggernauts with legions of professional editors in tow. In
order for a publisher or agent to take a chance on you, the material can't just
center around a good idea. It has to be well executed cover to cover. Tighten
it up. Make sure it is as perfect and captivating as you can make it. Then read
it again.

Do you ever
suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about
it?

I think everyone gets writer's block from
time to time. Some days the words are flowing and it's all I can do to keep up
with them. Other days, they can't be beaten out of me with a sledge hammer. If
I'm stumped, I'll jump to a different part of the story or take a step back and
try to look from a more macro perspective. Is it a local issue or is there a
broader plot, character, or flow problem that needs addressing? Looking a page
or two ahead of where I'm blocked and working down from there I also find
helpful because it reorients me back to the broader story and helps to show the
problem area in context.

Are you
working on anything at the present you’d like to share with us?

I'm currently working on book two of the Armageddia Series, and love the
direction it's going. I feel like I learned a lot while writing Yield, and that's helped my process on
book two tremendously. The follow-up to Yield
explores a darkening world, one filled with revenge, retribution, and a
desperate struggle to find hope within the chaos. Book one saw the transition
from normality to a new way of life. It was very sudden and immediate in the
lives of the characters. Book two of the Armageddia
Series takes place a year later, and is more about the sustained struggle
to survive and how the characters have changed in very different ways to do
just that.

What’s
the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?

When I was twelve, my grandparents were celebrating their
fortieth wedding anniversary and decided to take the entire family on a cruise
to the Caribbean. At that age, boys especially I think are open to trying
things that more mature minds would caution against. So, I purposefully set out
to eat the craziest things I could find on the menu. I had fried frog legs
approaching Labadee, slurped down escargot in Jamaica, and had my first lobster
tail somewhere between Haiti and Cuba.

What do you
want to know about the future?

Who is to say the future will ever be written? (...says the
guy who just wrote a book about Armageddon... ;) If I could only know one thing
about the future, I'd like to know what kinds of people my kids turn into.
Parenting is one of the greatest things we can ever do, and if I had just a
tiny sneak peek into their lives years from now, I think that would be a very
enlightening experience. Kids don't come with instruction manuals,
unfortunately. That makes it hard to know if you're doing a good job parenting.
Are we setting the right examples? Encouraging them enough? Too much? There is
a delicate balance always at play, and it would be nice to have some
confirmation now and then.

What is your
favourite pizza?

Linguisa and olive at Abby's Pizza—not
even a contest.

Are you a
morning person or a night person?

I do better writing at night. I'm a relatively early riser,
but not a contributing member of the human race until I have at least three or
four cups of coffee in me. French roast. Black. STRONG. Is there anything
better than having a steaming hot cup with absolutely nothing else on your
mind? Watching the slow and steady ticking of the clock move past panic before
reality finally sets in . . . Sorry,
what were we talking about again? I think I need some coffee.

Friday, 3 August 2012

How
did you come up with your premise? Is there a story behind your book? How did
the story evolve?

One of my goals for 2011 was to write a
novella. Nothing came to me until I realized I had an unattached character in Sage and Sweetgrass, Frivolities #3.
Lezlie is Sage’s daughter, a single mom. I knew where Lezlie worked. She had
never told her father who fathered her son. A tagline came easy: An accusation
reunites Lezlie Diamond and Jordan Marshall – will a secret keep them apart?
One thing led to another and I had a completed first draft in days. I always
smile because I feel as though this story wrote itself.

For
those who are not familiar with this story, would you please give us the blurb?

Lezlie Diamond and Jordan Marshall meet
again after a disgruntled husband accuses Lezlie of allowing his wife to die. A
night security officer at the hospital, Jordan sees Lezlie home safely. Her
nervousness tells him she’s holding something back. Jordan was devastated when Lezlie
disappeared from his life sixteen years ago. Now she’s back and he discovers
her secret: the birth of their son. How can he ever trust her again? The two
loves of Lezlie’s life unite. The teen immediately forgives his mother for her
secrets and wants to know his father, but dare Jordan follow their son’s example
and grant Lezlie a second chance?

Are
there any fun tid-bits about this story you can share with us?

The names. My first choice of a name for my
oldest daughter was Lezlie. (I’m so glad she’s Paige.) When I worked at UNL two
of the French professors were Jordan S and Marshall O.

How
did you decide on the setting?

Easy. It was established in the third book
in the series. Lezlie works at a hospital in Lincoln.

In Frivolites book five, we catch up with Lezlie, Sage's daughter. The book, by very nature of being a dollar download is a quick read at just 34 pages. However, those 34 pages are packed with action, drama and romance in a way that pulls you in and just doesn't let you up for air. It's got the awww moments and the heart stopping moments, not to mention the 'the author did what???' moments. We meet new characters as well as the old friends from the previous books. This one has gone straight back into my TBR pile.

If you love LoRee Peery's books, don't miss this one.

The Interview began July 27, continues . .
.

What
books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

It depends on what I need at the time –
how-to, inspiration, craft elements. Different pointers strike me at different
times. I don’t read Stephen King’s fiction, but his On Writing is valuable. Everyone has a different process. We all
have strengths and weaknesses. Gail Gaymer Martin’s Writing the Christian Romance was very helpful when I planned one
of my books.

How
do you come up with the titles to your books?

That’s a really good question. For the
whole Frivolities series, except Found in
the Woods, a character’s name is in the title. Don’t ask me why the heroes
made it for the two books with older heroines. “Something” comes to mind, I
write it down, nothing better pops up, and so far my editor agrees with what I
submit.

When
did you first consider yourself a writer?

When nonfiction Nebraska essays were published in academic
journals and anthologies.

What
person or experience inspired you to become a writer?

My mom loved to read. My husband’s
challenge. An uncle who said, “Your letters sound like you’re right here
talking to me.” A really good friend named Frenchy.

Describe
your writing space.

The room of my own came about when I took
over my son’s room the third time he moved out. The closet houses filing
cabinets, paperbacks in crates, my TBR pile, collage materials, and a shelf
full of three-ring notebooks. Along the walls are eight oak bookcases, two
handmade by my husband. My writing space is L-shaped, PC and computer desk on
the right, an antique square table for my printer, a refinished antique writing
desk with a stained-glass lamp, and an oak file cabinet on the left. When I’m
immersed, the desktops are covered.

Read. Take walks. Play Scrabble or games
with family. Go to movies. Spend time with writers.

Where
do you get your inspiration from?

The eternal hope we have as believers in
Jesus Christ.

What
did you want to be when you grew up?

First thing I remember is a ballerina. Then
a music teacher.

What
do you do in your spare time? (Assuming you have any ;-) )

It’s been a long time since I have just sat
outside and soaked up nature. I need to get back to doing that. But not this
summer when we’ve had more 100-degree-days than I can remember. Hmmm, I think
it is past time for a vacation.

What
genre would you like to explore that you haven’t tried to write in yet? Will
you? What would you never see yourself writing?

YA – it’s so popular right now and young
teens are so impressionable. Only the Lord knows. Fantasy.

Do
you really, really want a dog?

Have one, and I think Bogey will be our
last. He’s a big, loveable yellow lab. But he sheds incessantly.

Do
you hate how you look in pictures?

Hate is pretty strong. I don’t mind head
shots but I feel as wide as I am tall any more.

Do
you have any strange handwriting habits, like capitalizing all your “r”s or
dotting your “I”s with heart (or anything like that)?

I mix printing and cursive and my lowercase
Rs are really old-school.

What
is your strangest habit?

Don’t you dare ask one of my kids. Maybe
“singing” hello when I answer the phone?

You
can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

My father’s murder.

When
you looked in the mirror this morning, what was the first thing you thought?

I’m leaving the house without mascara and I
don’t care.

What
were you doing at midnight last night?

Reading until “the end.”

What’s
a saying you use a lot?

God is God and I am not.

Have
you ever eaten a crayon?

Probably, but I don’t remember how it
tasted.

What’s
the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Boxelder bugs.

What
is your favourite animal?

A wolf.

What
do you want to know about the future?

That’s too scary.

What
is your heritage?

German American.

Have
you ever cried during a movie?

Usually.

Do
you sleep with the light on?

My hubby needs a couple night lights on. I
usually “see” what’s in the house ahead of me.

What
is your favourite pizza?

As much cheese as fits and green olive.

Are
you a morning person or a night person?

Night. It’s best not to talk to me until
I’ve had a cup of coffee.

If
you were granted three wishes by a genie, what would they be?

I’d see all my loved ones in heaven some
day. My house would always be clean. Twenty pounds would vanish.

If
you could go anywhere to tomorrow, where would you go?

The Black Hills, The Rockies, or Idaho, where the
evenings are cool.

If
you could see anyone tomorrow (dead or alive), who would it be?

My mom. She would love knowing that I’m an
author. I can see her smile as I put this down.